As the days get shorter and colder, it becomes easier to fall into a mental funk. Instead of enjoying sunny days on the beach, you are stuck inside huddled under a blanket or battling icy roads on the way to work. The winter season also means planning Thanksgiving dinners and buying Christmas presents. What are some ways that you may be able to handle seasonal depression?

Eat And Sleep Right1

It is important that you don’t try to fight depression by eating a lot of fatty or sugary foods. While the holidays do encourage you to eat a lot of dark meat and chocolate, be sure to balance that out with fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Maintaining proper portion control may also make it easier to eat right during the holidays.

Adults should sleep for at least seven hours a night. If you can get eight or nine hours, that may be even more helpful when battling depression. Sleeping helps to relieve stress and fight cravings for unhealthy foods. It can also help to regulate your mood while you are awake.

Use Artificial UV Lights

The use of artificial lights designed to mimic the light given off by the sun can help regulate your mental state during the winter. Sitting by such a light while reading a book or while doing homework may allow you to get more done because you will spend less time stressed or worried about life. It may also make it easier to get up in the morning when it is dark and cold outside. Such lighting can be used whenever you need assistance improving your mood throughout the year.

Mediate Or Get Massages

Mediation can be a great way to relieve stress and to center yourself mentally. One of the biggest benefits of going to a meditation or yoga class is that it gets you out of the house and with other people. It is possible that you may make friends or otherwise develop the social connections that may contribute to alleviating your depression symptoms. Using resources like a chakra chart and others may make it possible to learn more about why you are depressed and what steps to take to reduce those symptoms.

Getting regular massages may help to relieve stress and tension within the body that could lead to pain or other health issues. If you don’t enjoy the thought of a full body massage, you could opt for head, neck and shoulder massages instead that can be done in 30 minutes or less. This may be ideal for those who have to work a lot or otherwise don’t have time to for a 60 or 80-minute session.

Think About The Good In Your Life

Instead of worrying about the cold and snow, it may be best to simply enjoy the fact that you have a warm house to live in. It may also be a good idea to simply spend some time outdoors throwing snowballs or making snow angels. The cold nature of the holidays may make spending time outside difficult. However it’s important to try to find ways that you can still get exercise in. While it may not cure your seasonal depression, it could make dealing with it easier.

Seasonable depression is not something that you have to deal with on your own. If you feel tired, irritable or otherwise not like yourself when the season changes, talk to your doctor immediately. He or she may be able to make recommendations as to how you can manage your symptoms in an effective manner.